


A Battle on the River

by dragonofeternal



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Magi Secret Santa 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 13:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9073696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonofeternal/pseuds/dragonofeternal
Summary: Judal and Hakuryuu travel to a southern province of Kou to find the creator of a magical weapon that tried to assassinate Hakuryuu.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Melianella](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Melianella).



> Imagine this in an AU where Hakuryuu remained emperor with Judal by his side... This was originally written for Melianella on tumblr for Magi Secret Santa 2016. They wanted Juhaku and Djinn Equips, so I decided a fun little fight scene adventure would be just what Santa ordered!

Hakuryuu sat silently as the gondola sliced through the murky water of the river, the creak of the pine and the sloshing of the water against it the only sounds to disturb his thoughts. The magi was perched at the bow, his dark hair a sharp contrast to the brilliant red of the painted cock's head that adorned the front of their boat. Hakuryuu hated having such ostentatious ornamentation on their ship, but crimson cock's combs are the standard decoration of fishing boats in the southern provinces of Kou. It would be conspicuous not to have one. 

"Incoming," Judal murmured, and Hakuryuu sunk back into the shadows of the tiny boat's overhang. The whirr of a magical drone zipped by, mindless of their presence, and Hakuryuu did not breathe a sigh of relief until he saw it dart, dragonfly-like, down another canal. Judal held his hand up for Hakuryuu to stay hidden, then gave a laughing sigh. "All clear again." 

Hakuryuu adjusted his robes and sighed again. To be the emperor, all in court finery, yet still in hiding, was an eerie thing- all the symbols of his power and prestige were nothing but a target on his back and a chain around his shoulders. Heavy silks like this were fine for court, but they made for shitty traveling clothes. At least he had his metal vessels at his left, within easy reach. Nothing like sharp objects to make you feel more comfortable in unfriendly territory. He brushed his fingers lightly against his spear and the answering pulse of magic set his mind at ease. 

It had been almost a month since he had been attacked by a magical construct in the courtyard in Rakushou. It hadn't been that dangerous in all honesty; it was simply made, and the magic that animated it couldn't protect it from a single one of Judal's ice spears. The threat lay in what it meant- rebellion, insurrection, attempts on the emperor's life. Neither Judal or Hakuryuu would take something like that lightly.

"Well now that we've seen that, I'm more confident that we're going the right way," Hakuryuu said, trying to relax a little.

Judal scoffed. "What, did you think I couldn't track those guys?" He lifted the pulsing magical core that had animated Hakuryuu's magical assassin. "There's nothing like a trail of blood to lead the way back home."

Hakuryuu laughed and shook his head. "I don't think that's quite how that works, but all right." Something about the sly line of Judal's grin and the cocky tilt of his head made Hakuryuu's heart feel more at ease. "I suppose a 'grand sorcerer of creation' would know more than a mere mortal." 

Judal raised an eyebrow. "Are you mocking me?"

"Never."

Judal's smirk widened, and he opened his mouth to retort when an explosion rocked the waters near their boat, almost causing it to capsize. Silt-grained water sloshed over the sides, and Judal swore as he lept from the craft, calling the water up on the other side to keep the boat from spilling over. Hakuryuu paid no mind to the water soaking through his robes as he snatched his spear up for safe-keeping. 

"Looks like we're not as subtle as I thought," Judal said with a sheepish grin and a laugh. "Sorry about that, my king." 

Hakuryuu harrumphed and walked out from under the gondola's covering to look up at their attacker. No, he realized, scanning the crowd on the carpet above them- more than one. Three to be precise: two veiled persons in shapeless robes that looked to be spell casters of some sort, and one woman with her hair pulled up below a bun-holder holding the magic tool that seemed to be the cause of the current commotion. Hakuryuu nearly laughed aloud. 

"Judal," he said with a wave of his hand, "take care of this." 

"Sure thing," Judal replied, lifting his spear and firing a volley of ice spears into the trio of assailants. The ice tore through the air and bodies before it crashed into the buildings that rose high above the canalway like the walls of a sunken road, and blood-stained shreds of cloth slowly drifted down to the water. Judal landed, cat-like, and grinned at Hakuryuu. "Well now we extra-know we're in the right place, yeah?"

Hakuryuu rolled his eyes and jabbed his spear in Judal's direction. "The point was to be surreptitious. Causing a commotion like this-" 

Another blast of force struck Judal straight into the water and rocked the boat. Hakuryuu stared in stunned silence at the place where he'd stood, and then turned to see the woman standing on a ropebridge above, safe and sound. 

"You're a fool to have come here, emperor!" she snarled. "But I'm glad you fell for my trap. How do you enjoy my magical tools?" 

Hakuryuu glanced from the gondola to the woman. "I think that both you and your tools are quite rude to keep interrupting the conversation I've been trying to have," he replied. "But since you have been so polite as to reveal yourself, I will allow you to test them against me." 

Hakuryuu uncovered his spear's blade, revealing the eight-pointed star with flourish. With the words of incantation, his heavy silks burned away in a wave of power, and the life magic of his metal vessel coursed through his veins. Flesh became stronger, firmer, and he could feel all the pulsing creatures unseen to the eye but all around. The staff of his spear turned to finest silver beneath his hands, and he sprang from the canal to the rope bridge above.

The woman grinned and met his assault with a blast of her magic tool. Hakuryuu deflected the blast with a swing of his spear and answered it with a surge of plant growth from the wooden planks. 

She staggered backwards, her leg catching in one of the reaching tendrils, and she fell hard onto the planks so that the entire bridge shook. Hakuryuu spun his spear around with a cry so that more microbes went reaching, jaws wide, for her. The bridge snapped below the assault, but it was clear in a moment that she had not perished. Instead she clung to the planks with bleeding fingers, her hair now loose around her face with only a few strands still captured in her bun. Hakuryuu smirked, flying down for the kill and straight into a bomb she flung from somewhere within her sleeves. 

Hakuryuu cried out in pain, falling a short ways before being caught in the soaking arms of the woman's magic users. As their mechanical faces opened wide like a horrified scream, Hakuryuu realized that they were not mages, but more perfected versions of the thing that had attacked him in the courtyard in Rakushou. The magical tool gave a horrible whine as it began to glow, preparing to detonate. 

"Zaug Mobarezo!" he cried, and the two mechanical attackers were blown away from him as they blew apart. The swirling wooden dragons shielded him from the blast, and the surviving one surged for the machine's master. She narrowly avoided it as she scrambled up the last length of the bridge to the platform it jutted off of.

But she was too slow, one step behind Hakuryuu, and he came from above. His metal vessel drove itself straight through her. 

"You are the one who made those?" The woman nodded. "Then my work here is done. Unless you have pupils who might-"

"No," she napped, and she gave a horrible, wet gasp as she forced herself off the spear point. "But you have to know that others will come for you. I'm not the only one who resents your reign, or the force you used to take it! Others will tear you dow-"

"Thalg Al Sarros." 

Judal sounded almost bored as he impaled her with a long spear of ice. The threat was most certainly gone now. Hakuryuu eased from his battle pose and looked up at his magi. Judal was perched on a rooftop, clothes and hair soaked through.

"I was wondering where you'd run off to," he said, offering Judal a rare smile. "I knew a blast like that wouldn't be enough to kill someone as stubborn as you." 

Judal jumped down to meet Hakuryuu where he stood, and his hands encircled Hakuryuu's shoulders. "You make it sound like I was blowing you off!" He kissed Hakuryuu with a laugh and was pleased to find that Hakuryuu was still smiling. "I finished following the core to where it was made and destroyed all the stuff there. Figured that'd be more helpful than helping you kill time fighting this small fry." 

"You know, most people would be worried if their lover and right hand man disappeared in the middle of a fight," Hakuryuu countered, kissing Judal back and running his fingers through his hair. The water had filled it with a fine coating of dirt and muck, and Hakuryuu made mental note to have the servants draw a bath when the two of them returned to Rakushou so that he could properly bathe Judal and care for his hair.

"But we aren't most people now, are we?" Judal pulled back to float cross-legged before Hakuryuu. "You have faith in me."

"I suppose," Hakuryuu teased, drifting down to return to their boat. When his feet touched the wood again, he released his djinn equip, the heaviness of his wet silks sagging his shoulders once more. Judal made a displeased noise as he landed behind him.

"Awww, I was hoping to get to watch your abs in djinn equip more."

Hakuyuu rolled his eyes. "Well, I would like to go somewhere dry and change." He gave Judal a small grin over his shoulder. "But maybe if you can behave the rest of the way home, I'll allow you to help me with that."


End file.
